Fitzy and Wippa on fatherhood: 'He breaks the rules as a dad'

Ryan 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald and Michael 'Wippa' Wipfli are known for their top-quality banter, and they certainly don't put the comedy away when it comes to their kids.

With two sons each, the radio duo have managed to take on fatherhood together and find the humour in both their successes and struggles when it comes to raising a family.

"It changes your life, it's very interesting to watch a mate and what they go through when they have children," Fitzy tells 9Honey of their shared experiences.

Wipli's sons, Ted, 4, and Jack, 3, are his pride and joy, though they seem to have inherited his knack for comedy as well.

Recently Jack commented on his father's "turkey neck," Wipli joking to Sunday Life that he'd love a day when he's not picked on in his own home.

"[Wippa] loves being a dad, he talks about them all the time and dotes on them," Fitzgerald says of his long-time friend, turkey-neck comments aside.

Though the pair share a similar sense of humour, their parenting styles seem pretty different, though they both approach fatherhood with enthusiasm and a good dose of laughter.

"Fitzy breaks the rules as a parent, which is great," Wipfli says of his co-host, who has two sons, Hewston, 10, and Lennox, 6.

"If it's raining and the oval says 'closed', Fitzy says 'It's open to us.'"

There Fitzgerald jumps in, joking: "If it's a music festival and we don't have a ticket, we jump the fence."

Though he may not be fence-hopping with his sons, he has always been something of a 'cool dad.'

Fitzgerald admits to taking a more "lenient" approach to parenting, having taken both of his sons to an ACDC concert and supporting his youngest, Lennox's, current hairstyle – a statement mullet.

He also jokes that he's taught Lennox how to hotwire a car, though it took a while to get the six-year-old's skills up to scratch.

"He looks so cute in that balaclava," Wipli jokes.

Putting comedy aside, Fitzgerald says that he tries to avoid harping on his sons too much when they misbehave - mainly because he remembers what he got up to as a young boy.

And when it comes to advice for other dads, he and Wipli agree that new fathers shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes.

"One of the key things you learn really quickly… is an understanding of patience," Wipli told Sunday Life.

"You need to rewrite the book on patience."

That, and children need to be fed – something Fitzgerald apparently didn't realise until a few days into fatherhood.

For an in-depth interview with Fitzy and Wippa go to Sunday Life.